Weekly Poll: Favorite The National Album • Page 3

Runaway and Anyone's Ghost?
HV is an amazing album and those song are necessary.

 

If I had to nitpick HV it would be "Conversation 16," that's the only track on it that I don't think is incredible

 

Damn. “Conversation 16” is a top 5 fav song for me by them lol

 

Then again most of my more detailed thoughts likes/dislikes regarding The National are probably unorthodox

 

you must not like having your brain eaten then!

 

Could be wrong but I would venture to guess most people discovered the National through High Violet/"Bloodbuzz Ohio" (I know I did) and that might be a factor as to it's popularity.

Can't believe that was ten years ago!

 

I actually don't like Trouble Will Find Me as much compared to what I consider their peak records.

I revisited it recently to give it more credit and I do like songs 3-5 and 7-9 a lot but I could honestly leave the rest.

 

wow fuck you @Randall Mentzos "Pink Rabbits" is their best goddamn song and you could just... "leave it". wow wow wow

(sort of kidding. you like what you like, and i'm not actually heated. very much surprised though, i don't think i've ever seen someone say they didn't really enjoy "Pink Rabbits")

 

Wish I loved Hard To Find more, definitely their weakest closer since SSFDL

 

i didn't want to do this, but i have to:

closers, in order by favorite:

"Hard to Find" (TWFM)
"Gospel" (Boxer)
"Mr. November" (Alligator)
"Light Years" (IAETF)
"Sleep Well Beast" (SWB)
"Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks" (HV)
"Lucky You" (SSFDL)
"Ann Freud" (S/T)

 

People always bring that one up hahaha. It's nice sounding but repetitive.

The lyrics are great, as can be expected from Berninger. But lyrics are usually pretty low on my priority list when it comes to, "what song do i like putting on / listening to the most?" How much i put a song on usually is tied to how much the music itself inspires me.

I more so remember the lyrics like a good book - the meaning sticks with me but I don't need to keep putting it on to get that satisfaction haha.

 

Mine is now:

Gospel
Vanderlyle
Mr November
Light Years
Sleep Well Beast
Hard To Find
Lucky You
Anna Freud

 

one thing i can say for sure is this band defines the word "grower" haha. First time i heard Boxer I didn't care for it that much but I gave it a few tries because my friends were crazy about it. Now The National is one of my favorite bands and in my opinion, some of the best professionals to look up to as an aspiring indie-rock musician myself.

Most of their albums hit me harder and harder on every listen when I'm first getting into them. It's like there's layers & depth to their music and uncovering them is part of the experience.

 

Happy 10th birthday to High Violet, a record that I remember a lot of the AP.net "old guard" hated when it first came out and that now appears to be their most popular here on Chorus. Cheers to times a-changin'

 

Just to stir the pot: the album version of "Terrible Love" is better than the cleaned-up other version that everyone likes and I will die on this hill

 

Oh if we're stirring the pot...

I only listen to the live version of Boxer now.

Recorded version is great as is, but. Hearing all those dueling guitar parts front and center; and hearing Matt's voice more on edge / with more energy; really transformed that record for me. I also love how much bolder and more commanding the horn section sounds. Even though the studio production is a perfect fit for that record, I almost think it might've been better if they went really raw / loud with most of it.

But that's just not the National's studio style. So I revel in Boxer Live In Brussels being the one "release" on Spotify that has that energy. That's my favorite National to listen to, actually, but it doesn't count as an "album".

 

I don’t remember this for some reason? It was one of those records that leaked like a month early and I recall the reception being pretty good.

Disagree with your “Terrible Love” take, though. Album version never lets the song soar.

 

Yeah I think my characterization is probably unfair but there were definitely a few vocal long-time posters who loved the band but hated HV. Whatever, ancient history now

I love how dirty and scuzzy the album version is. Makes "Sorrow" feel even more crisp and clean afterwards by comparison too. But I get the objections and the alternate version definitely has a more bombastic climax like when the song is performed live, so it's a cool mix too don't get me wrong.

 

I love High Violet but I can’t stand all the reverb on Matt’s vocals in that album + TWFM. Glad they’ve dialed that back.

 

thank you!!!!! i will fight along side you

 

High Violet forever

 

Here's my 10-year retrospective on High Violet.

The National – High Violet

 

Excited to read later this afternoon

 

Bottom two on the record and the latter is a bottom three National song.

 

That said, I've tried and I legitimately cannot name a bottom three for them. It's Anyone's Ghost and Heavenfaced and that's it. Unless we're counting self-titled which no one does.